


The Attack on the Gourmet

by MuddledClarity



Category: Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul:re
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 02:25:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4204437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuddledClarity/pseuds/MuddledClarity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The Gourmet has been active again in the 20th ward. The case has been reinstated as a high priority. You and your squad are to find and eradicate him." Haise took the file from Akira, slowly thumbing through the papers. "Got it, we'll get to work on this immediately."</p>
<p>"Be careful, Haise."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Attack on the Gourmet

The investigation went on for a month until Haise finally found the hideout for the Gourmet. It was a lavishly decorated mansion belonging to one of the most prominent families in the area. _So they've even been able to live this lavishly. There's really no way to trust anyone, is there? It's sickening._

"Shirazu, take Tooru and cover the west wing. Urie and Saiko, east wing. I'll take the centre. Be quiet and do not engage anyone unless I'm there. Got it? Contact me immediately if you find any sign of the Gourmet." Haise's stare swept over the squad as he addressed them, pausing pointedly on Urie as he finished his instructions.

"Got it, Sassan." "Understood." "Okay, Maman." Urie gave only a curt nod, and the groups moved swiftly and silently away. Sasaki walked cautiously into the main hall, listening for anything out of the ordinary. There didn't seem to be any signs of life in the plethora of rooms on the ground floor, but Sasaki checked each and every one of them to be certain. The rooms each had an over-privileged aspect to them, and clearly were decorated by someone with a taste for gaudy colour combinations. At the end of the hall, a spiral staircase soared to the next floor. A sound seemed to be sweeping down from the next floor, but it was too faint to hear clearly. As he made his way up the stairs, dragging his fingers lightly across the railing, the sound slowly grew from a whisper, to an undertone, to a piano pressing out some European classical music. _Of course that's what you'd listen to, Gourmet._

The music led him to a door halfway down the hall, the only one that'd been left slightly ajar. Peering in, the room was much plainer than most of the ones he'd seen before, although the giant windows in the back seemed a bit excessive. A draft blew against Haise's face, carrying an oddly familiar scent with it. The moon was the only light source in the room, creating a mass of silhouetted forms. Music danced out from the piano in the corner, where Sasaki had just enough time to make out a slice of purple before the notes stopped abruptly.

“Oh dear, I hadn't expected a visitor tonight. The engagement must have slipped my mind. Allow me to make the room more presentable.” A clap of the hands, and soft white light bathed the room in color. The purple mound that had been tucked behind the piano rose become the form of a tall, porcelain man whose clothes were well represented by the rooms Haise checked downstairs. His smug, self-serving smile quickly faded to a serious scowl as his eyes fell upon the briefcase in Sasaki's hands. “I see.”

“You are aware of your situation, Gourmet?” Haise's knuckles whitened around the case as he drew it to an offensive position. The Gourmet's face spread into a malicious smirk as he raised his arm, activating his kakugan and kagune simultaneously.

“I don't care much for the plans you've designated; however, I haven't cared much for anything for quite some time. I imagine my servants will have quite the mess to clean up tonight. Though, I will at least partially enjoy feeding on you, your hair is exquisite.” With that, he lunged himself at Haise, moving astonishingly fast for a Koukaku type. Haise clicked the button on his case, expanding it into it's quinque form. Meanwhile, he dodged to the left, just in time to avoid the initial lunge.

“Oh-ho, you're fast, my little dove-ling.” Sasaki rolled himself over the ghoul's second attack, effectively reversing their original positions. As the Gourmet set himself to attack again, he took in a deep breath, and stopped dead in his tracks.

“No, it couldn't be that... you're--” Haise took advantage of the moment and lunged his weapon at the enemy. Whatever spell that had momentarily captured the porcelain figure broke slightly, and he brought his kagune around to defend himself from the attack, although his eyes remained wide in... fear? Wonder?. “Wait... stop.”

“What makes you think I'd stay my attacks for something like you? Do you think I'm naive enough to let you go?” He slashed at his opponent as quickly as he could in an attempt to throw him off balance, but the ghoul simply blocked his attacks and moved away as much as he could between each deflected stroke. _Why won't he strike back? What is he waiting for?_ Not willing to find out, Sasaki doubled his attacking affort. He left one spot seemingly unguarded, assuming that it was just the opening that the ghoul was waiting for. The combined force only merely left scratches as the ghoul furiously defended himself.

“Stop. Please stop. Stop, stop STOP! I'VE WAITED FOR SO LONG FOR YOU.” Tears streamed from the ghoul's kakugan, magnifying the the veins that dripped towards his chin. “WHY WON'T YOU STOP? My delicacy... LOOK AT ME!” Even if the ghoul wanted to take the opening Haise had left for him, Haise could tell that his eyes were too watered to take a clear shot. Haise paused for a brief second, uncertain if he should continue. _No, I can't allow myself to stop in this situation_ Shaking himself clear, Haise tightened up his attack in order to accomplish his goal.

“DON'T YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT ME? OF OUR SQUAD.. no, OUR FAMILY?" Gourmet still refused to attack, but his kagune, no doubt getting heavier to maneuver due to the excessive weight it carried, responded slower, and Haise's Quinque dug into his arms and legs, his face, and even left some relatively light grazing in his abdomen. The expensive clothes were ripped and tattered, and the crimson blood contrasted harshly against his skin. Haise might have felt sorry that this grotesquely beautiful, yet pitiful, creature would have to die tonight, but, he would no doubt have attacked his squad if any of them had found him. He'd killed so many people that had done nothing wrong. Haise couldn't allow himself to pause even for a moment. Dealing a few strikes directly to the kangune, it began to break down enough to create a few holes. Haise swirled the kagune around, slashing down towards the Gourmet's face. As expected, he brought his arm up in an attempt to block, allowing the strike to find it's true mark, slicing off the arm. _This is it, Gourmet._ A single, fluid motion while the ghoul screamed in agony, and the quinque pierced the Gourmet's heart. 

He crumpled to his knees almost automatically. _There's no way he'll be able to recover from that._ Haise stepped back, watching his adversary's final moments. The flood of tears had stopped, replaced by the ocean of blood pooling on the white tile. Shuddering, the ghoul looked up at Haise and flashed a single bitter smile at the man who had just ensured his death. “Ka... ne..ki-... kun. I got to- got to see you again.Tr... Tr--...Tres Bien.” The Gourmet gave a weak smile. His strength gave out, and he crumpled to the ground.

Haise froze, his face losing emotion and cognizance as his mind relentlessly spun. Tres Bien. Tres Bien? Kaneki. Kaneki. Gourmet. Kaneki Kaneki Kaneki Kaneki... KANEKI! Haise let out an anguished scream as a flood of flashing images danced before his eyes. A coffee shop, a church, a restaurant, an apartment, a rooftop where two entities engaged in a fight to determine the fate of a life. In each, the ghoul appeared. Gourmet. Ghoul. Gourmet. Dagger. Ghoul. Shuu. Gourmet Shuu. TSUKIYAMA SHUU. 

“TSUKIYAMA. WHAT HAVE I DONE?” Haise's legs gave out as well, leaving him to use his kagune to drag himself to the body of his ally. No. It was more than that. The body of a ... friend. Someone he had murdered.

“How did it come to this? I promised I would do something.. I was going to protect everyone.”

“Sassan! We heard the commotion and---” The entire squad paused at the door.

“How is it fair for me to live? How can I live when those I care for are dying by my own hands?” Haise's, or rather, Kaneki's hands clutched to the still-warm body, his white suit lapping up what had been the living essence of one he had known. Tsukiyama's form spilled from Kaneki's grasp, too much of him existed for Kaneki to cling onto everything. His head rolled back just beyond the reach of Kaneki's legs, vacant purple eyes pointed towards the piano. The Quinx squad stood silently as their leader bawled and clung to a ghoul. Urie discreetly pressed a button that alerted the back-up squad to their location.

“I just wanted to protect them. I just wanted to--- I just had to-- but, now... I--” Tooru hesitantly edged forward to place a hand on Kaneki's shoulder. Kaneki pushed Tooru away with all the force mustered by one who feels he lost everything. Understanding, Tooru stepped slightly back, now acting as a median between the stark division of ghouls and doves.

“What is the point? What's the point of me doing any of this if I can't protect anyone?” His bawling climbed to screams and wails and blubbering. Clutching the body even closer, Kaneki buried his face into Tsukiyama's shoulder, shielding it from the stream of blood if it would allow a river of tears in its place.

Akira arrived moments later, quickly subduing him with an RC repressor and a regular tranquilizer. Haise slumped to the floor, unconscious, and was gently carried away when the remainder of the team arrived. The ghoul's body was taken to be incinerated after being unceremoniously loaded into what closely resembled a refrigerator box. By morning, nothing in the mansion would suggest that it's occupant had been so unscrupulously been denied his companion and his life. 

*****

“How are you feeling today, Haise?” 

"I'm doing fine." Haise sat at the opposite end of a dining table from Arima, eyes cast down, following the grain of the wood. Up, down, swerve, circle, down.

"About the incident," Arima began. 

"It's fine. I think I must have known that ghoul in my past life."

"Are you sure you're handling it well?"

"Of course," Haise looked up and smiled as he touched his hand to his chin, "I bear no connection to my past self, after all."

**Author's Note:**

> So.. I'm in progress with another fanfiction, as well as trying to kickstart that one no.6 piece that I just kinda left hanging. I might try to post more, but it really all depends on when I get inspiration and such.
> 
> Anyways, I wrote this back around Christmas 2o14 for a Secret Santa exchange (never saw my santa, but that's another grievance).
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it, let me know if you have any critiques. (I know Tsukiyama isn't really in line with what's been revealed about his mental state so far, but yeah.. )


End file.
